It’s bizarre to think that people would complain that Hugh Jackman wasn’t muscular enough to play Wolverine if the 2000 “X-Men” film hadn’t hit theaters until 2024 instead. Or if “Smallville” were premiering now, someone would probably be making fun of Tom Welling for having a “dad bod.” (If you don’t believe me, this is what Jason Momoa looked like when he was called out for his “average” physique.) It’s gotten to the point where it’s almost shocking that when Josh Harnett appears shirtless in a scene in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller “Trap,” he looks like someone who is actually physically capable of doing the things his character is supposed to be able to do in the film — rather than someone who is severely dehydrated and has fasted all day to reveal his abs.

Thankfully, more and more actors are starting to speak out against the harmful extremes they felt forced to go to in order to conform to modern Hollywood’s unrealistic body standards. (That’s not to say this has only become a problem in the last two decades; Brendan Fraser has admitted that his transformation for 1997’s “George of the Jungle” left him so starved for carbs that he couldn’t remember his PIN number for a simple ATM transaction.) That includes Channing Tatum, who has spoken openly about denying himself much-needed calories while preparing for his role as charming, lonely stripper Michael “Mike” Lane in the “Magic Mike” films, and especially in 2015’s “Magic Mike XXL,” the film that (rightfully) topped /Film’s rankings of the 12 best Channing Tatum movies.

Suffice it to say, there’s a reason Tatum decided three Magic Mike movies were enough for him.

When the star of a film series about stripping — a job that involves embodying clients’ sexual fantasies — says the movies promote an unhealthy and unsustainable body image, you know you have a problem. On “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2022 (via IndieWire), Tatum explained, “It’s hard to get in that shape, even if you work out.” He clarified that it’s not even about eating well — quite the opposite. “‘Good’ is not even — that’s not even healthy. You have to starve,” he explained. “I don’t think it’s really healthy for you when you’re that slim.” Tatum added that it’s only gotten harder for him to reach his weight goals as he gets older and his metabolism naturally slows down (though that by no means means it’s somehow healthier for younger actors to do so).

This is nothing new for Tatum. Seven years ago, when Magic Mike XXL hit theaters, he was already advocating for more actors to have dad bods. “Even if it’s not the case, I’m going to try to make it ‘in,'” he explained at the film’s European premiere. “My Magic Mike body (…) lasts for about five days, like during filming. You time it until that day and then you immediately lose it.” Considering how he looks as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine and in his role as a sinister playboy tech billionaire in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice, Hollywood would be perfectly fine (no, better off) if actors were allowed to feel comfortable following Tatum’s example and eschewing the toxic expectations of the industry.

“Blink Twice” will be released in theaters on August 23, 2024.